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One of MMA’s most well respected fighters, Kenny Florian is known for many things. His razor sharp elbows, sharp suits and fantastic tweets (if you don’t have twitter or you’re not following him, then it’s your loss). As he enters a new stage in his career by moving from the lightweight division to the featherweight division, Florian has new challenges ahead of him, including the likes of Manny Gamburyan, Josh Grispi and of course, Jose Aldo.

I thought Strikeforce kicked off the Heavy Weight Grand Prix with a bang, I was sad to see Fedor take another loss like that, it always chips at my heart to see former stars on their way out….. Makes me appreciate there here and now as Im set to challenge Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Bantam weight Title March 5th!!

In the middle of January, MMA fighting posted an article based upon a Fedor speech where he stated ‘He never believed he was the best fighter in the world.’ I fully respect Fedor for saying this. I also respect him for what he has done for the sport for the hardcore fans who know him from the Pride days.

There were numerous comments by fans on this article, kissing his ass saying “he is still the best P4P in the world” “He just got caught by Werdum” “he will show us all when he wins the heavyweight tournament” etc.

These were all opinions of “fans” and I’m all down for that. However, I’m not down for fans who then disrespect other people’s opinions. Just because about three out of the 50 people who posted on that article didn’t hang off Fedor’s nuts, doesn’t mean they weren’t true MMA fans. If anything it just shows their intelligent.

He is no longer in the top ten pound for pound in the world. He is definitely not in the top 5 heavyweights in the world. He’s not in my top 10 heavyweights in the world.

I fully appreciate the legend that is and always will be the last emperor. But he didn’t evolve with the sport. By that I mean, he definitely should have moved to light heavyweight. The average mixed martial artist is a lot more athletic than they were 5 years ago. Fedor can no longer compete with the heavyweights. If he didn’t have such weak management, who were giving him the easy fights and giving him the fighters on the tail end of the career for the last 5 years then he could’ve lost and then learnt from his mistakes at a better age.

If anyone has access to it, please watch the fight of Fedor vs Tim Sylvia. He destroyed Tim Sylvia, ‘you can only beat what’s put in front of you’ and he did that perfectly. However, the commentators help build him up for the never ending fall that he is now enduring. Saying this definitely solidifies him as the best fighter ever. . .Really?

He beat Tim Sylvia who was cut from the UFC for losing too much, the same Tim Sylvia who got knocked out quicker by a guy who had never even fought MMA and knocked out by a guy who didn’t make it past the first round of the Ultimate Fighter.

You can say what you like about Dana White but he speaks the way he does because he truly believes he has the best fighters in his organization. So when he says Fedor hasn’t fought anyone relevant since 2006, it’s hard not to believe him. Fedor fought a bunch of UFC drop outs and Japanese fighters. Japan did a lot for the sports growth, but they currently have no place among the elite. This is shown by the amount of the Japanese fighters coming over to the US and seriously struggling (Kid Yamamoto, Omigawa, Gomi, Aoki etc).

I’m not just jumping on the (Fedor is sh*t) train because he has just lost 2 straight. I firmly believed this before he got caught by Werdum (even though I still believe he will beat Werdum if they fight again). I even made a nice little profit thanks to my man big foot.

I think he should retire. He doesn’t know the level he is at the moment. I’m not sure I want know how far down the ladder the emperor has fallen.

The past few weeks have seen three submission victories for Team Renzo Gracie fighters – Roger Gracie, Igor Gracie and John Cholish. Each fighter did what they do best. They each won by going to their foundation to give them the strength to finish the fight. Watching these fights further reinforced my choice to stay true to my roots. It is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu that has made me the person I am today.

Learning BJJ from my family in Rio de Janeiro during the eighties and nineties was my upbringing. Gracie Barra. Two words that speak volumes. It is the home of champions. Back then, it was a simple tatame on the top floor of a local gym. With a corrugated metal roof, the academy became a sauna. This was no place for those who did not wish to become champions. You gave it your all and left your ego at the door. Our team was born in this academy and we carry on the tradition today. Team Renzo Gracie is the 21st Century re-incarnation of the friendship, brotherhood and unity that made us all champions. These are days that I will always remember and look forward to as well.

There are positions, moves, submissions and chokes in BJJ that are classics. These are the go to moves for us. Roger Gracie and Igor Gracie both used classic moves with their respective classic approaches to submit their opponents. John Cholish took a page from the history books when he submitted his opponent by kneebar. It was beautiful to see him pull this move in the same way that Oleg Taktarov used to submit many opponents in the early days of MMA and the UFC. Fast forward to today. I am training for the Light Heavyweight Tournament in Bellator. Tournament. This is a word that I do not take lightly. This is my opportunity to compete against seven other men all vying for the same belt. This is not an opportunity to win a championship that is simply offered to you.

This is one that will be won the hard way. With hard work. This past week personified hard work. Traveling as usual between Connecticut, NYC, the Bronx and New Hampshire, I spent each day giving it my all. Training on Monday in John Danaher’s class at Renzo Gracie Academy saw a packed mat with UFC and Strikeforce fighters. This is my time to train with some of todays best MMA fighters. In the middle of the week, when the Bellator crew arranged to film me for the fight promo, the scheduled day fell on my day to train at John’s Boxing Gym. After four hours of non stop sparring, padwork, BJJ, working out all the while being filmed and making commentary, they got the images they wanted. I was honored to share my story with Bellator and it was another realization for me that this tournament is one week closer.

The end of the week saw another trip to New Hampshire. Tough MMA training twice per day with other Bellator fighters. With workouts during the middle of each day, there was no down time. This is my life. A life that I am honored to lead.